Dree Hemingway's Guide To Summer

The season we've all been waiting for is here! Actress, model and all-around cool person Dree Hemingway helps you make the most of it.

May 26, 2016

Leave the city for a while. Make lots of new friends. Swim in lakes, rivers and oceans. Wear as little clothing as is socially acceptable and refuse to take your shades off, even when the sun's down. Summer symbolises a break from the usual routine and injects us with vitamin D.

Like most of us, H&M's Forever Summer campaign star Dree Hemingway updates her personality for the best time of year.

"I love the spontaneity that comes with summer. In the winter months, I can go into hibernation and often snuggle indoors with a book and a movie. In the summer, I want to get out and play! Summer is about meeting people, having fun, dancing."

Refuse to take your shades off, even when the sun's down.

Dree Hemingway

WHAT THREE THINGS DOES EVERYONE NEED TO DO THIS SUMMER?

1. TAKE A MOBILE PHONE BREAK.
"Put it away for at least one week and shut off. I think it's important to take a break from technology and business, and open your mind instead. People forget to be with themselves because they're on their phones all the time. Your body and mind need space in the summertime."

2. DO SOMETHING YOU'VE NEVER DONE BEFORE.
"It can be going to a place where you've never been before, travelling by yourself or just in any way venture out of your box. In the summer, you're able to take time for yourself."

3. GO TO THE OCEAN.
"The ocean heals everything and is the number one stress reliever. It doesn't have to be an ocean – any natural body of water will do. It's important to get the full feeling of vacation, and to get there you need to leave the city and be in nature. When you come back you'll feel rejuvenated."

I don't know where I'll be spending most of my time this summer. I'm a Sagittarius and don't plan things.

DREE HEMINGWAY

DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'LL WEAR THIS SUMMER?
"My regular summer outfit is a white T-shirt, a pair of distressed jeans and sandals. I'm not a shorts fan. If it gets really hot, I'll put on a nice summer dress, but the only time you'll see me in a pair of shorts is at the beach – and only because I know that they're coming off."

WHAT WILL YOU LISTEN TO THIS SUMMER?
"A lot of old reggae, and Kate Bush because I love her. I'll listen to anything that's uplifting."

WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE THING TO EAT IN THE SUMMER?
"I like to eat Mediterranean food in the summer: grilled fish, fresh salads and watermelon. It's important to eat seasonally, so in the winter I go for warmer and heartier foods."

As her surname reveals, Dree comes from a well-known family. Her great-grandfather was the iconic novelist Ernest Hemingway, and Dree grew up in the same small town in Idaho where he had his summer home and wrote some of his greatest works.

WHAT'S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVOURITE SUMMER MEMORY?
"The summers when I was six and seven, my dad and I took river trips in Idaho. We were out together with a group for five days, kayaking from one campsite to another, rafting on the river. We slept in tents, played music around bonfires and ate s'mores.

Then, a few summers ago I went on the same trip again, but this time with my best friend Marc. It's a beautiful and amazing experience where you can really shut off from the world."

IS IT POSSIBLE TO PROLONG SUMMER?
"If you dress happy, give yourself little weekend vacations and take time for yourself, you can make summer last for a really long time. Seasons are beautiful and you should embrace them, but it's important to maintain the happy spirit of summer."